Discussion of April 27, 2011 Outbreak

Lake Martin EF4 · Apr 27, 2025

"At 4:16 AM, while most Alabamians slept soundly and unaware, the first tornado reached into the dark of rural Alabama and filled the air with a lonely roar and the snapping of tall pines."

- "What Stands in a Storm," p. 21.

The April 27th, 2011 Super Outbreak in My Own Words by Chris Darden : The Alabama Weather Blog

www.alabamawx.com

Tenth Anniversary of April 27, 2011 Super Outbreak: A Personal Photo Journal

Ten years ago today, the largest known tornado outbreak in recorded history ravaged the south, killing more than 300 people across multiple states. It was a truly horrifying day that will never be …

walkercountytornadoes.wordpress.com

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8X3nxPESHH0
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cZvUKeoO4xg

- YouTube

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- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GPZF7Cp99x4&pp=ygUNQXByaWwgMjcgMjAxMQ==

Lake Martin EF4 · Apr 27, 2025

Lake Martin EF4 · Apr 27, 2025

Apison, Tennessee EF4 Tornado 4/27/11 (Uncovered Footage)

On April 27, 2011, the most historical modern Tornado Outbreak would occur across the south-southeast US. It involved record-breaking twisters and was the mo...

m.youtube.com

NEW HARMONY.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdxp0nkgw-c&pp=ygUYbmV3IGhhcm1vbnkgdG9ybmFkbyAyMDEx

LAKE MARTIN.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q_aXHQ9cJkU&pp=ygUYbGFrZSBtYXJ0aW4gdG9ybmFkbyAyMDEx0gcJCYQJAYcqIYzv
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cmwiyzI-5qs&pp=ygUYbGFrZSBtYXJ0aW4gdG9ybmFkbyAyMDEx
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ox11Mpptc&pp=ygUYbGFrZSBtYXJ0aW4gdG9ybmFkbyAyMDEx

PINE LOG.

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MichelleH · Apr 28, 2025

Lake Martin EF4 said:
(Apologies for double posting, I had to separate this for going over the character limit. Actually, I had to split the "footage" section too.)

PHILADELPHIA.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Svcf8__-w_4&pp=ygUXcGhpbGFkZWxwaGlhIG1zIHRvcm5hZG8=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Snlu0rO0Xyo&pp=ygUXcGhpbGFkZWxwaGlhIG1zIHRvcm5hZG8=

CULLMAN.

NEW WREN.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y3VU8fg2pLQ&pp=ygUXbmV3IHdyZW5tcyB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=

HACKLEBURG.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLDR-mfO5Ms&pp=ygUjaGFja2xlYnVyZyB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTEgYWxsIGZvb3RhZ2XSBwkJhAkBhyohjO8=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2oSKWlZrabo&pp=ygUXaGFja2xlYnVyZyB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE%3
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QqAjX-EdER4&pp=ygUXaGFja2xlYnVyZyB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lc65NClkXPA&pp=ygUXaGFja2xlYnVyZyB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTHSBwkJhAkBhyohjO8=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vvlw68KGl8&pp=ygUXaGFja2xlYnVyZyB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qXFOf3EXgrI&pp=ygUaSGFja2xlYnVyZyB0b3JuYWRvIGZvb3RhZ2U=

CORDOVA.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mAR1l1ltbVA&pp=ygUUY29yZG92YSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jKdexF17CnU&pp=ygUUY29yZG92YSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTHSBwkJhAkBhyohjO8=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uBLNxIWVT50&pp=ygUUY29yZG92YSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=

SMITHVILLE.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb1KNFEOFaA&pp=ygUXc21pdGh2aWxsZSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6bN9kz-50&pp=ygUXc21pdGh2aWxsZSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EdWCt1O1Sos
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IdkUZohqkog&pp=ygUXc21pdGh2aWxsZSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=

FLAT ROCK.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ULnZc7p4iv4&pp=ygUWZmxhdCByb2NrIHRvcm5hZG8gMjAxMQ==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8vE3yJu4r14&pp=ygUWZmxhdCByb2NrIHRvcm5hZG8gMjAxMdIHCQmECQGHKiGM7w==

TUSCALOOSA.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yebhNVzCmAc&pp=ygUfdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTEgZm9vdGFnZQ==
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YjevYGdskt0&pp=ygUXdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-prBXDsUk&pp=ygUXdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o7T7GYl0xvg&pp=ygUXdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mPcUDIXX2G4&pp=ygUXdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EJHdvmVsYC8&pp=ygUXdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTE=
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T0FHTG9VETY&pp=ygUfdHVzY2Fsb29zYSB0b3JuYWRvIDIwMTEgZm9vdGFnZQ==

Anytime anyone shares that top video of the tornado plowing through my hometown, I have to stop and watch it. And it guts me every time. But the fact that that particular tornado only caused one fatality in Cullman County (Fairview) is nothing short of a miracle. The only other fatality in the county that day was from the early morning EF-2 in Hanceville. Sadly, when this twister moved into Marshall County it intensified and killed an entire family in Ruth except for a little girl. I think I'm going to be obsessed/haunted with this day for the rest of my life.

Lake Martin EF4 · Apr 28, 2025

On another note, going back to a post I made a long time ago...

Lake Martin EF4 said:
am I going to end up stumbling upon a New Harmony photo next?

it's so small

Central Ohio Wx · Oct 24, 2025

While doing missing persons research on The Charley Project (as I often do in my free-time), I came across the rather depressing case of Latoya Tee Brown, who went missing from Tuscaloosa just a day before the tornado came through (April 26, 2011). Interestingly, geolocation placed her directly in the tornado's path as it came through the area (the Rosedale apartments specifically). Despite this, she has never been located, one of four people in the Tuscaloosa area to remain unaccounted for.

I think it's most likely she lost her life in the tornado and something happened during recovery efforts that prevented her from being located. Her family thinks she is still out there somewhere. It’s not the only case I can think of where somebody disappeared during a major disaster.

Kds86z · Oct 25, 2025

WeathermanLeprechaun · Oct 25, 2025

Kds86z said:

How'd he find a new video of Hackleburg in Mount Hope? Don't think I've seen this before.

Kds86z · Oct 25, 2025

WeathermanLeprechaun said:
How'd he find a new video of Hackleburg in Mount Hope? Don't think I've seen this before.

Oh this is hackleburg tornado?

Central Ohio Wx · Oct 25, 2025

Kds86z said:
Oh this is hackleburg tornado?

Yes

Kds86z · Oct 25, 2025

Central Ohio Wx said:
Yes

Ok I didn’t know or hear of name Mount Hope is why

CheeselandSkies · Nov 25, 2025

A few days ago, National Geographic uploaded the full episode of their series "Witness to Disaster" about the April 2011 tornado outbreak to their YouTube channel. There are some kind of cheesy digital swirling tornado graphics, but also plenty of real footage (most of which we've seen before) and interviews with both James Spann and Matt Laubhan as well as snippets of their coverage.

NorthGaWeather · Nov 26, 2025

CheeselandSkies said:
A few days ago, National Geographic uploaded the full episode of their series "Witness to Disaster" about the April 2011 tornado outbreak to their YouTube channel. There are some kind of cheesy digital swirling tornado graphics, but also plenty of real footage (most of which we've seen before) and interviews with both James Spann and Matt Laubhan as well as snippets of their coverage.

Chris Darden is also interviewed in this documentary. He was the MIC at HUN during the outbreak, and is the current MIC at BMX. He was also a member of this forum back in the day. If memory serves, he was one of the main reasons (through extended research) Rainsville attained an EF-5 rating.

Kds86z · Dec 1, 2025

CheeselandSkies · Dec 1, 2025

If legit, that's the first photo of this EF5 I've seen that shows it as a wedge further down its path. All the footage I've seen from in Rainsville shows a chaotic multiple-vortex with periodic violent "drillbit" funnels, similar to Cullman or the following year's Henryville early in their paths.

Kds86z · Dec 2, 2025

CheeselandSkies said:
If legit, that's the first photo of this EF5 I've seen that shows it as a wedge further down its path. All the footage I've seen from in Rainsville shows a chaotic multiple-vortex with periodic violent "drillbit" funnels, similar to Cullman or the following year's Henryville early in their paths.

Kds86z · Dec 2, 2025

Kds86z said:

Central Ohio Wx · Dec 2, 2025

CheeselandSkies said:
If legit, that's the first photo of this EF5 I've seen that shows it as a wedge further down its path. All the footage I've seen from in Rainsville shows a chaotic multiple-vortex with periodic violent "drillbit" funnels, similar to Cullman or the following year's Henryville early in their paths.

Surprisingly, it was a wedge for the majority of it's life, most of the (well-known) footage of it is at the very beginning of it's path:

...you get the point, I could pull up other media.

Can confirm it was legitimate, it was uploaded in June of 2011 here.

Central Ohio Wx · Dec 2, 2025

CheeselandSkies said:
If legit, that's the first photo of this EF5 I've seen that shows it as a wedge further down its path. All the footage I've seen from in Rainsville shows a chaotic multiple-vortex with periodic violent "drillbit" funnels, similar to Cullman or the following year's Henryville early in their paths.

Cullman is actually the perfect example of what Rainsville did. What most people don't know is that Cullman absolutely wedged out almost immediately after leaving town:

Tennie · Dec 2, 2025

Central Ohio Wx said:
Cullman is actually the perfect example of what Rainsville did. What most people don't know is that Cullman absolutely wedged out almost immediately after leaving town:

Which goes to show just how utterly unreal the atmospheric conditions were on that day in order to spawn numerous tornadoes that were simultaneously large, violent, fast-moving, AND long-track.

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